Audi Newbeeie

Phantom is sweet when it has been freshly clean it just has a nice luster to it!!! Get the phantom black in my opinion

HouseofG

LOVE my BB. When clean (WHEN!) absolutely nothing looks better. I don't regret the selection at all

Europa

It comes down to the a) depth of "black" you want, and b) the amount of maintenance you are willing to do to keep up with swirling of the finish. Brilliant Black is a stunning, deep black, but it shows dirt and swirls more readily than any other color, and thus BB requires more care and feeding than Phantom (you have to be extremely careful with washing and drying). The pearlescence of Phantom slightly minimizes the appearance of swirls vs. Brilliant, as it gives the eye something to focus on other than swirls and slightly diffuses the light that the swirls reflect. Because of the pearlescence, Phantom Black can appear "dusty" in certain light, as the pearl can steal some of the reflectance. That said, Phantom is a gorgeous paint, with pearly flecks of green, mica, and purple. This adds a lot of interest to the paint, though it's subtle. I have Phantom and I'm happy with it. In the right light, the pearlescence is <i>beautiful</i>

My car:
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/43649/new20s520072.jpg">

<img src="http://lh6.google.com/tim.shimo/Rzez3ZNFcdI/AAAAAAAAABY/tuxtrUjeQUo/s800/New%20S5%20007.jpg" />

<img src="http://lh3.google.com/tim.shimo/R0h9B0EXWdI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/GVxtnWRoMeI/s800/New%20S5%20075.jpg" />

You can slightly see the pearlescence in this pic (look at the warm reflection in the dead center):

<img src="http://lh5.google.com/tim.shimo/Rze0ZJNFcsI/AAAAAAAAADY/iElT_CZeu7w/s800/New%20S5%20048.jpg" />

But in certain light, the pearlescence can make the finish look dusty (perfectly clean here):
<img src="http://lh3.google.com/tim.shimo/R4KcH7kF1GI/AAAAAAAAASY/hWn9XLWwX3g/s800/New%20S5%20068.jpg" />

geordon

Yeah, it is $2,500 custom paint, but S5 buyers are already paying $750, so it is really a $1,750 upcharge, right?

Europa

No - Phantom is only $750 more than standard. It's not a custom color on the S5.

geordon

which is custom paint, not at S5 (which is premium paint).